Lives of the Lindsays, or, A memoir of the House of Crawford and Balcarres > Volume 4

BATTLE OF CONJEVERAM, ETC. 125
At this period there were not 3000 men collected to-
gether in any part of the country ; the principal can-
tonment consisted of the 73d regiment, the corps of
artillery, and one battalion of sepoys, stationed at Poo-
namalee, fifteen miles from Madras ; Colonel Braith-
waite had likewise a considerable body of troops sta-
tioned at Pondicherry, and Colonel Baillie commanded
another body of about equal force, in the Guntoor
Circar ; these two detachments had some time be-
fore this received orders to march to the Presidency.
On the 20th of July, the Poonamalee detachment
marched to St. Thomas's Mount, in order to accelerate
the junction of the other two bodies ; on the 29th, Col-
onel Braithwaite joined, having fortunately met with no
molestation from the enemy in his route ; Baillie was now
making rapid advances towards Madras, and another
detachment, consisting of two regiments of cavalry, and
twelve companies of grenadier sepoys, were upon the
march from the southern countries. The most sanguine
hopes were therefore entertained that the [two latter]
junctions would be happily effected.
II. Affairs were in this situation, when intelligence
arrived that Hyder had opened batteries against Arcot.
Mahomed Ali being apprehensive for the fate of his
capital, importuned General Monro to march with the
troops that were then collected at the Mount, observing
that Hyder would raise the siege upon hearing that the
army had moved. This scheme being approved of, Lord
MacLeod was ordered to take the command, and march